Albums

Races: Year of the Witch

“The Knife” by Races makes me feel like I’m in that scene in movies where the guy just lost the girl and he’s standing in the rain heartbroken, tears covered by the falling rain drops. This song makes me feel like I’m there with that guy, watching his heart break into a million pieces, but also in his mind. In the mix of emotions inside his head, the melancholy, surprise, but not really surprise, and acceptance of the situation floating around me. The place that this song brings me is rather sad and a little pathetic in a weird way, yet the sad feeling does not make me dislike the song. I’m instead brought to this sort of enlightenment. A new found epiphany of something good is on its way. Races is that good. Their style of indie rock is that same good.

The soft vocals of Wade Ryff with injections of Devon Lee on top of the slow fluid guitar strums bring on everlasting enjoyment. An enjoyment one wouldn’t put hand in hand with such slow music too. Yet somehow the pace of Races’ music works. It creates the perfect atmosphere for that heartbroken rain scene in movies. Wade Ryff bleeds emotion throughout Year of the Witch. It’s like I’m with him, feeling everything that he’s feeling. I fall into his emotions and I’m lifted back up by the melodies and Lee’s backing vocals that meld so well with Ryff. If indie rock music were a person, Races would do them proud.

Nancy Hoang created Hopeless Thunder in 2007. She conducts the interviews, writes the articles, photographs the concerts, and handles the site's coding & design. (She's basically a control freak.) Her work can also be seen on music publication, CMJ. Contact Nancy for image licensing, assignments, or just to say hi.